Barbara Kent Lawrence '58 finished her eighth book, a novel called The Other Island: Ben's Story, a love story that takes place in Maine, where Barbara resides. The book is a sequel to Islands of Time, which was released last year and is set during the summer of 1958.

Kara Arundel, wife of Tom '90 (and sister-in-law of Peter '75, Wendy '77, and John '81) published Raising America's Zoo. The book tells the story of how Kara's father-in-law, Arthur "Nick" Arundel, traveled from Africa to Washington, DC, with the National Zoo's first two gorillas. Nick Arundel "would fight to make 'America's Zoo' a leader in animal preservation," Kara notes on the book's website.

Rostam Batmanglij '02 released a solo album, Half-Light, which debuted on September 8. Rostam, who has been profiled by publications including The New Yorker, EW, and Vulture, was formerly a member of rock band Vampire Weekend. As quoted in The New Yorker, Rostam says, "My music is about identity. This album is about identity." In the same article, Rostam reflects on his time at Potomac, and it's revealed that a quintessential May Day tune has made its way into the album: "The first song on 'Half-Light' is 'Sumer,' which is built around a sample of "Sumer Is Icumen In," an Old English round that he loved as a child."

Jamie Potter '01 will soon release "Indian Summer" with The Crooked Angels, which plays everything from "raucous, rambling blues, to poignant, delicate country ballads," according to the group's website. Consisting solely of Jamie and his wife, Amy, the group released its first album in 2016.

School is officially back in session, and the Alumni Governing Council (ACG) held their first meeting last week. Led by Reed Landry '99, Cate Rooney '08, and Rory Byrnes '01, the ACG is comprised of alumni from 1977 through 2012, along with two current Potomac students.

On April 28 and 29, The Potomac School welcomed over 200 of our alumni back to campus. Reunion kicked off with our alums putting on their thinking caps and heading back to class! After brushing up on their favorite subjects, alumni received a warm welcome from Head of School John Kowalik while at lunch, and connected with one another before watching the annual May Day Celebration. Our alums had a great time singing along to the timeless tunes!

Friday evening featured the Gold & Silver Celebration, which honored the Class of 1992 and the Class of 1967, who were celebrating their 25th and 50th reunion, respectively. Following a toast, the All Alumni Reception began, allowing friends to reconnect, enjoy festive music, and grab a bite to eat.

Saturday morning began bright and early for our alumni! Director of Admission and Financial Aid Carson Roy led a campus tour, and alumni then enjoyed a delicious brunch while listening to panelists from the Class of 2017. After brunch, alums took advantage of the warm weather by either walking the trails or playing with their children on the jungle gym.

Many thanks to all of our alumni who joined us for Reunion, and congratulations to our milestone classes!

The Potomac School Alumni Office is launching an exciting new networking and mentorship platform called Potomac Connect, and we'd like to invite you to join.

Potomac Connect fosters professional relationships between the Potomac Alumni community. By joining, you can:

Be a mentor, mentee, or both

Network with alumni in your city or career field

Post, learn, and apply for internships and job opportunities

Discover and attend upcoming Potomac events

It's your choice how much time you wish to invest in Potomac Connect. It only takes a few minutes to sign up and can help you expand your professional network within the Potomac School community. You can use LinkedIn, Facebook or email to register and then you will immediately have access to our secure, free Potomac only online network. Click here to join today!

Rostam Batmanglij will be touring the Northeast this spring. His stops include the 9:30 club in DC on May 2nd, and the Bowery Ballroom in NYC on May 3rd. For more information, and to buy your tickets, click here.

Watch "The OA", the latest Netflix original series, created and written by Potomac alumnus Zal Batmanglij '98 ("The East") and Brit Marling. The eight-episode first season, which was entirely directly by Batmanglij, will be available to stream on Friday, December 16.

Olivia Pavco-Giaccia '12 has been named by HerCampus as one of their "22 Under 22 Most Inspiring Women" for 2015. The award recognizes college women who are leaders doing big things to make our world a better place.

Davis Guggenheim '79 wrote and drirected HE NAMED ME MALALA. This film is an intimate portrait of Malala Yousafzai, who was wounded when Taliban gunmen opened fire on her and her friends' school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley.